75
See also: The value of teams 70–71 ■ Hubris and nemesis 100–03 ■ Effective leadership 78–79 ■ Ignoring the herd 146–49
■ Learning from failure 164–65 ■ Avoiding complacency 194–201 ■ Creating an ethical culture 224–27
LIGHTING THE FIRE
leaders is to create an environment
where bad news is tolerated, and
even encouraged. If leaders react to
unwelcome news without
screaming or recrimination, staff is
more likely to be confident about
delivering it. Good leaders tend to
address the problem, rather than
simply apportioning blame, helping
to prevent a repeat scenario.
An important way of preventing
a yes-men culture is to create a
culture of collective responsibility.
Often, the most valuable employees
are those who are courageous
and caring enough to tell the truth,
no matter how bad it might be.
For employees, delivering bad
news is a skill in itself. It is better
if the news comes with a proposed
solution attached, and with causes
of the problem acknowledged rather
than ignored. The news should be
delivered promptly; the sooner a
problem is identified, the sooner
it can be solved, and the better a
manager’s reaction is likely to be.Testing your ideas
Jean Paul Getty, founder of the
Getty Oil Company, recognized
the value of outspoken employees,
claiming that “dissent adds spice,
spirit, and an invigorating quality.”
Ken Olsen, founder of Digital
Equipment Corporation, built
dissent into company culture, using
debate and conflict resolution as the
primary ways of decision making.
Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric
(GE), encouraged no-holds-barred
debates, saying, “if the idea can’t
survive a spirited argument, the
marketplace will surely kill it.”Management teams that can
challenge each other’s thinking
develop a richer understanding of
strategic options, and, ultimately,
make better decisions. The best
business leaders attempt to
harness criticism and debate.
If everybody is saying “yes,”
something is seriously wrong. ■Jean Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty was born in
Minneapolis in 1892. His father
was a lawyer who moved into the
oil business in 1903. Getty studied
at universities in the US and UK
before joining his father’s
business, The Minnehoma Oil
Company. He set out to make a
million dollars within his first two
years, and did so by buying and
selling oil leases.
Because Getty married five
times, his disapproving father
bequeathed him only $500,000
from his $10-million estate.
Undeterred, Getty combined this
with his own amassed earnings tobuy several oil companies and
build these into a pyramid of
corporations, with the Getty Oil
Company at the top. In 1949, he
purchased a 60-year concession
in a tract of land between Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait that was
thought to be barren of any oil.
His company struck oil in
massive quantities in 1953,
making Getty a billionaire. He
died in 1976 at the age of 83.Key works1953 My Life and Fortunes
1965 How to be RichIn an organization where
innovation happens, very often
people ignore orders.
Robert Sutton
US professor of management
Saying yes to every task and giving
only good news to a leader might result
in popularity, but will soon overload
the employee and risks blinded
decision making by the leader.